by Rynaldo Stoltz

Created on: August 12, 2009   Last Updated: August 13, 2009

Mesothelioma Treatment and Mesothelioma Cure

Have you been diagnosed with mesothelioma? What are the mesothelioma treatment options?

Asbestos cancer treatment generally focuses on destroying the malignant mesotheliona cells and preserving new healthy ones. This can be acccomplished in several ways, however, the three major mesothelioma treatment options available to mesothelioma patients are: So what happens if you are diagnosed with mesothelioma?

1. Mesothelioma Surgery
2. Mesothelioma Radiation
3. Mesothelioma Chemotherapy

Mesothelioma treatment options will depend on the following issues:
- Mesothelioma types
- Mesothelioma tumor size
- Patient's age
- Patient's physical health
- Mesothelioma stage


Mesothelioma Treatments Explained:

1. Mesothelioma Surgery
Mesothelioma surgery can be performed on the patient for one or two reasons: attempting to cure the mesothelioma disease or for palliative reasons. Unfortunately, due to the fact that mesothelioma is only diagnosed in its late stages, curative surgery is not usually an option, however, a pleurodesis can be performed as well as an thoracentesis. A pleurodesis operation is basically used as an palliative measure. The mesothelioma doctor will inject the lungs with talc which will prevent any fluids from returning. Thoracentesis is another palliative procedure in which the doctor uses a thin needle to remove fluids from the lungs. In severe cases a pleurectomy may be performed. Here, a doctor will attempt to remove the lining of the lung to lessen pain and lessen breathing difficulty.

2. Mesothelioma Radiation Therapy
Radiation theraphy is mainly recommended to patients with a very fragile health. This type of treatment has the least side effects and relatively easy to tolerate. Two main forms of radiation theraphy to mesothelioma patients:

2.1 External Beam Radiation
The external beam is the preferred type of radiation treatment and comes from a machine outside the body. The machine targets the affected areas of the body and usually administered 5 days a week. External beam radiation is used to lessen breathing difficulty, pain, leeding, and swallowing. Usually this is the first option when it comes to mesothelioma treatment.

2.2 Brachytherapy Mesothelioma
A very rarely prescribed mesothelioma treatment. Brachytherapy places radioactive material directly inside the lung. Brachytherapy may have severe side effects.


3. Chemotherapy Mesothelioma
Very similar to radiation therapy. This type of treatment provides no mesothelioma cure, but can go a long way in providing relief from harsh mesothelioma symptoms. Chemotherapy can be given in either pill form or injection form and has minimal side effects.

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